Saving Lives With 3D Printing

- Nov 07, 2018-

There has never been a dull moment in 3D printing.From printing organs to helping doctors prepare for surgery to trying to print fully formed organs, 3D printing is likely to boost life expectancy by leaps and bounds.

Cardiologists Use 3D Printing to Save Tiny Lives

Sinterit also published the case of a pediatric cardiac surgery performed on Kordian, a three-week-old infant boy in Poland. It is unclear whether soft or hard materials were used in the case, but the baby is 18 months old today and is reported to be in good condition. Doctors say 3d printed models do help.

SLS 3D Printing Offers a Hand

An interrupted aortic arch during surgery could be fatal. Jarosław Meyer-Szary, M.D. from the Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Defecs, University Clinical Center in Gdańsk, Poland. made the decision to use a life-size 3d printed model of Kordian heart before surgery.Unfortunately, this technique won't work in this case.Doctors had to imitate every tiny vein and artery surrounding the heart.

3D Printing Makes Surgery Safer, Easier, and Shorter

3D-printed medical models help increase surgeons' confidence in the planning process and help develop medical students. These tangible replicas of a patient's specific anatomy can lead to more accurate, hands-on plans for patients and make surgery safer for patients with smaller incisions, less radiation and/or less anesthesia.